Choosing Your Path

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -I took the one less traveled by,And that has made all the difference.”

- Excerpt from “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost

For the Parent::Battle Cry

Have you ever noticed that inaction still has consequences? When we are faced with choices in life and we take the path of least resistance, we are still responsible for the result. Humans have the capacity for both the loftiest good and the most horrific evil. Unfortunately, when we put ourselves on autopilot, we have a tendency to take the wide road; it’s easy, but full of selfishness, jealousy, anger, greed and other unchecked emotions. This lazy, hands-off approach to decision-making can have dire consequences. The only way to combat this is with self-discipline.

To paraphrase President Teddy Roosevelt, nothing worth doing is easy. The road less-traveled is much more difficult to traverse, but ultimately, it’s the road worth taking. The Warrior Poet realizes that each of us has the capacity for evil, therefore we must actively choose good. We must choose the narrow path. We must choose Temperance.

For Your Son::Call to Arms

Whether you realize it or not, every day can be boiled down to the small choices that you’ve made. Did you hit the snooze button or not? What shirt did you wear? Cereal or Pop-Tarts for breakfast? Pen or pencil? However, some of these choices make more of an impact than others. Did you choose to interrupt your friend and tell your own cool story, or did you listen patiently and wait for your turn? Did you choose to help someone in need, or did you think, “I don’t have time to help”? Did you choose to avoid the “uncool” kids at lunch, or did you invite them to your table? We must have the self-control and discipline to make the right choices.

Nobody can choose your path for you. It’s so much easier to just “go with the flow”, but always remember that doing the right thing is what’s most important. Sure, the high road will be more difficult, but since when are Warrior Poets afraid of a challenge? May Temperance always give you the strength to choose the right path!

Weekend Activity

Ask your Warrior Poet for recent examples of where he chose both the hard (right) and easy (wrong) paths. He’ll understandably be reluctant to share the times where he may have messed up, but reassure him that we only grow by looking at our past mistakes!